Self-locking lever.



, PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905.

G. 0. BJORNEBY & A. 0. BRAGER.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l FIG. 2.

PIG 1.

No. 803,046. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905. G. O. BJORNEBY & A. 0. BRAGER.

SELF LOCKING LEVER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PIG 8. FIG.

2067, I'll! in /6a,

4 WITNESSES: 25 a lzvmazv TORS L W Agar/1611's:

1 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFron.

I GEORGE O. BJORNEBY AND ALBERT O. BRAGER, OF FERTILE TOWNSHIP,

' COUNTY OF WALSH, NORTH DAKOTA.

SELF-LOCKING LEVER.

To all whom) it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE O. BJOR- NEBY and ALBERT O. BRAGER, citizens of the United States, residin in Fertile township, in the county of Walsli and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Locking Levers, of

p which the following is a'specification.

vide a lever of the character mentioned gles to Fig. 1.

or locking plates, and Fig. 7-is a which is capable of a more exact ad'ustme'nt than the levers heretofore employe A further object of the invention is to' avoid the necessity of using a hand-operated pawl or like device in connection with a'rack or similar locking mechanism to hold the lever in any position in which it is placed or set.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more'fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and articularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1. is 'a side elevation of our improved automatic lever, showing in full lines the position of the clutching or lockin ,mechanism when the lever is at rest and ocked and in dotted lines the position of the said mechanism when pressure is applied to the handle of the lever tending to move it to the right or to the left. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, and'Fi 3 a central vertical section, through the Fever at right an- Fig. 4 is a detail front and side elevation of a yoke for sup orting screws or nuts for engaging the clutcliing or looking lates. Fig. 5 is a detail front elevation of t e lower end of the lever-rod. Fig.

'6 is a detail frontand side elevation of an the clutch auxiliary member for supporting 11 f eta' 0 one of the clutch or looking plates. Figs. 8 and Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed April 19, 1906. Serial No. 256,361.

r Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

9 are views in elevation and vertical section of a modified form of my invention. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the said modification. Fi 11- is a detail sectional view of the clutc mechanism employed in the modified form. Fig. 12 is a detail front view of the support for the clampinglates. Fig. 13 is a detail vertical section 0 the said support, and Fig. 14 is a detail rear view of the same. I

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In its preferred embodiment our improved lever consists of a rod 1, provided at one end with a handle 2 and at its other end enga ed within the socket 3 of an auxiliary mem er '4, pivoted at 7 to the frame or lever support that of the lever-rod which is provided 1n the oflset -'ortion 5 of the said auxiliary member. he lever-rod is rovided with notches or indentations 6 at t e point where it ongages the sides of the opening 10, thereby permitting the said lever-rod to have some motion or lay within the opening 10, as Illustrated in otted lines in Fig. 1..

The lever rod 1 may be pivotally'sec'ured to the auxiliary member 4, as by a bolt or pin 11 passing through openings 12 and 13 in the lever-rod and auxiliary member, respectively,

or the said rod may be held in operative relation withthe auxiliary member solely by its engagement, as above described, with th socket 3 and the ofiset portion 5.

Attached to the auxiliary member .4 are outstanding uides or cars 14, having openings 15 theret ough, which surround an archrod or semicircle 16.

Attached to the auxiliary member 4, be-

tween the lower end thereof and the oflsetg 4 portion 5, is ayoke 17, having 0 enings 18 in the outstanding arms 19. ithin these openin s are secured set-screws 20 or other prefera 1y adjustable abutting pins 01 stops arms. Between the pins or screws 20 are located clutch'or clamping members in the.

. extending toward each other from the said are pivotally or somewhat loosely connected with the offset portion 5 of t e auxiliary member 4, preferably by pissing into or through openings therein w 'ch correspondaplproximatel in sha e to, a cross-section ta en throu the sai thereof, asi ustrated in igs. 1 and 3. openings 22 in the locklates 21 preferably correspond approximatel y in shape to a cross section of the arch-bar or semicircle 16, the parts being essentially so proportioned that when the said lockeplates are approximately perpendicular to the arch-rod at the point of engagement therewith thesaid plates can be freely moved along the rod; but when the direction of the lock-plates relative to that of the arch-rod departs materially from a perpendicular the edges of the openings 22in the ock plates en age the arch-rod and lock the plates positive y against movement in the direction in which the pivoted or confined end of the plates slants. In our construction we employ two-lock-plates o positely slanted, so that the lever is normally positively locked against movement in either direction.

Around the arch-rod-16 and between the oppositely-slanted plates 21 we place a spiral spring 23 to insure the lock-plates maintaining a position in which they are normally locked against movement.

The set-screws or stops 20 are so placed or adjusted that they normally exercise little or no pressure upon the lock-plates 21; but upon movement of the lever-rod in either direction the pin located on the opposite side of the lever to that in which it is moved engages the lock-plate, which would otherwise-prevent such movement, and releases it from locking engagement with the arch-bar by bringing it into a position perpendicular or more nearly perpendicular to the arch-bar at the point of engagement than that which it occu ies normally. Movement in the opposite irection similarly releases the other locking-plate and permits of the reversed movement of the lever. When the lever is brought to rest and pressure tending to move the same withdrawn, the sprin 23 instantly and automatically forces the p ates 21 into locking engagement with the arch-rod, and no movement of the shaft 9 or of a rod or link adapted to be adjusted by the lever-is possible.

In the modified form of our invention (shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10) 1 designates a lever-rod whose lower end is engaged within the socket 5 of an auxiliary member 4 The rod 1 is preferably pivotally connected with the member 4 by means of a bolt or pin 11. The member 4 is operatively connected with the shaft 9 or other rod or link to be adjustably secured in any desired position. The upper end of the auxiliary member 4 \has the form of a yoke 5, having an oblong opening 1O therein corresponding approximately in shape with but somewhat lates near one end- The longer than the greater width of the rod 1, which passes therethrough. This additional length permits the lever-rod to have some motion or play within the opening'lO. Pivotally mounted upon the rod 1* by means of the bolt or pin 25 is a yoke 17 surrounding the upper and free ends of two lock or clutch plates 21, mounted to frictionally engage the arch-rod or semicircle 1 6 passing through 0 enings 22 therein. The ivotal motion of t e yoke 17 a is limited by the sto 28 within the elongated opening 29. The ower ends of the lock or clutch plates are supported within sockets 26, and their upper ends are held apart by the spring 23, supported by studs 27, as shown. The plates 21' are nor mally held in frictional engagement with the.

arch-bar or semicircle-16 so that the device is locked against movement in either direction. Mounted upon each end of the yoke 17 a are abutting pieces or screws 20, which extend toward each other and normally exert no pressure upon the plates 21. Upon the movement of the lever-rod 1 in either direction one of these abutting pins enga es the lock or clutch plate, which norma ly serves to prevent movement of the lever-rod in that direction and releases such plate from locking engagement with the arch-rod or semicircle 16*, as has been fully described in connection with the action of lock or clutch plates 16 Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an article of the character described, means for positively locking an element in a desired ad usted position, said means comprising a lurality of apertured lockingplates loose y retained in proximity to each other at one end, an arch-bar passing through the apertures in said plates, a spring disposed between the said plates tending to press the same apart and into locking engagement with the arch-bar, each of said plates serving to lock the device against movement in one direction of its motion,

ends, an arch-bar passing through apertures I in the said plates, a spring disposed between the said plates tending to positively force the same away from each other and into locking engagement with the arch-bar, each of the said plates serving to lock the device against movement in one direction of its motion and means for releasing the said locking engagement.

movement of the handle of the lever for rerigid element, means -pressure to the ban leasing said locking-plates from the said looking engagement.

4. In a device of the character described, a for positively locking an element in a desired adjusted position, said means comprisin a plurality of slotted locking-plates normal 1n lockin 'en age- ,ment with the ri id e ement, sai loc ingplates being loose y secured in proximity to each other at one end, and means for engage ment with the free ends of said locking-plates to release the said locking engagement with the rigid element u on the application of d le of the said device in either direction of its motion. a

5. In a device of the character described, an arch-bar and a looking or clutch plate for engagement therewith, said plate being freely movable along the said are -bar when said plate occupies a position approximately perpendicular to the said arch-bar at its point of engagement therewith, means for normally retaining said locking-plate out of such perpendicular relation and in locking engagement with the arch-bar and means dispose and arranged to abut against the said locking-plate to bring the same into an approximately perpendicular relation to the said arch-bar thereby releasing the said locking engagement.

6. In a device of the character described, an arch-bar, means for positively locking an element in the desired adjusted position, sai means comprising a pluralty of perforated lockin -plates.engaging the arch-bar, each of said p ates serving to lock the said device against movement in one direction of its motion and means for releasing the said plates from locking en agement with said arch-bar.

7. In an artic e of the character described, an arch-b ar, apertured locking-plates through which the said arch-bar passes and means for normally holdin the said plates in locking engagement witi the said arch-bar and an abuttm element actuated by movement of the handle of the said device for releasing the locking engagement ofthe locking-plates with the said arch-bar.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE O. BJORNEBY. ALBERT O. BRAGER. Witnesses:

E. R. SINKLER, M. M. HUGHES. 

